Taking Care of You
by raindropsandbutterflies
Summary: Reid is sick and JJ decides it's time that someone looked after him, which is harder than it sounds when you have a sickly but stubborn genius on your hands.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my first criminal minds fic, and I already have the next chapter planned, and so will continue if anyone would like me too. I am also considering turning this story into a collection of short fics revolving around Reid and the rest of the team. Enjoy :)**

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Jennifer knew the second she walked into the BAU building that something just wasn't right. She scanned the room as she sipped her coffee, looking for whatever it was that was out of the usual, but nothing caught her attention straight away. Hotch was at the coffee machine, Morgan was at his desk working, Garcia hadn't arrived yet, although, that wasn't unusual, it was most likely she was just on her usual breakfast run, getting food for the rest of the team. It was when she glanced at Reid's desk that she frowned. Reid's work attendance was notoriously perfect, and he was _never _late; in fact he was usually early, and would always be hunched over his paperwork with his cup of coffee and his genius brain whirring before most of the team even set foot in the door. Jennifer continued to frown as she studied Reid's desk, noticing his messenger bag hanging off the chair, and the abandoned mug of coffee on the table. None of the other team members seemed too concerned about this fact either, which made JJ question the lump in her throat.

"Guys?" She called, getting the attention of the team. "Where's Spence?"

"Oh, Jennifer. I didn't realize you were here." Hotch said as he made his way over to where JJ was standing. "I wanted to talk to you,"

JJ was beginning to get nervous, and her question still hadn't been answered. The rest of the team had turned their attention back to their paperwork, but Hotch had a look of concern in his eyes.

"Reid is in the bathroom. He didn't look too great this morning, but I didn't want to press him for details."

JJ nodded. That had probably been a good decision. Reid was never overly open about his feelings to most people, and got uncomfortable very quickly when people tried to ask him questions. JJ seemed to be a rare exception to that, however, and she knew that Reid tended to open up to her if he needed to.

"I was hoping you would be able to check on him," Hotch continued, "I don't think he should be at work today, but you're probably the only one who will be able to convince him to go home."

"I'll go now." JJ said quickly, her worry only growing as Hotch nodded. She walked briskly down to the men's bathroom, knocking on the door gently as not to frighten Reid with her sudden entrance. There was no reply, and so she decided to open the door slowly before entering. Her heart sunk at the sight that fell before her.

Reid was slumped on the floor with his knees pulled to his chest, shaking like a leaf. His hair clung to his pale face in chunks, and there were bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept for weeks. There was a sour smell in the air, and JJ's presumption was confirmed when she peered into the wastebasket next to the trembling Reid. Wrinkling her nose, she emptied the wastebasket into the toilet and washed her hands before sitting down next to Reid on the floor.

"Hello…" Reid croaked, forcing a smile as he turned to face her.

"Spencer…why aren't you home tucked up in bed?"

"I'm fine…just tired," He muttered, running his hands through his hair in an effort to look normal.

"Don't even try to pretend you're okay Spencer." JJ scolded, placing an arm around his shoulders and trying to pull him closer.

"I..I told you…" Reid cleared his throat and tried to pull himself to his feet, but his wobbly legs betrayed him and he fell back to the floor. A harsh coughing fit quickly wracked his body, making him bend over with the force of the coughs. JJ rubbed circles into his back, trying to relax his tense body and calm him down. Once he finished coughing he gave in, and allowed himself to rest his head on JJ's shoulder.

"JJ," He mumbled, "I don't think I feel well."

"Oh honey..." JJ pulled him into a tight hug, feeling a few hot tears slide down his cheek and onto her shoulder. She carefully rested him back against the counter and pulled a tissue out of her pocket, wiping his cheeks. She could feel the heat radiating off of them and she placed a gentle kiss on his clammy forehead before standing up and opening her bag, which she had left on the counter. She pulled out a water bottle and unscrewed the lid, handing it to Reid. She then grabbed some paper towels from the dispenser and wet them before crouching down next to Reid and wiping his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, sighing in relief at the cool water on his warm face.

"I'm just going to go and talk to Hotch, okay Spence?"

He nodded sleepily as she ruffled his hair and opened the door, surprised to see that Hotch was standing right outside.

"How is he?" His voice was full of worry.

"Not great. I think it's the flu." Hotch nodded as she informed him. "I'm going to take him home."

"Stay with him once you get him home. You know what he's like." Hotch ordered. JJ understood. If left alone Reid would just feel guilty and try to work, which would just make him worse.

"I wouldn't dream of leaving him. He needs someone to take care of him; I'm hoping that after some sleep and medicine he'll start to feel better."

"He probably doesn't have any medicine at his place. I can call Garcia and get her to stop by later with some supplies. I'll let the rest of the team know what's going on, they're all pretty concerned."

JJ nodded again and turned, entering the bathroom again.

"Call if you need anything." Hotch called out, "Good luck…"

JJ smiled as she saw the now sleeping Reid still slumped on the floor, with the cool water bottle pressed up against his cheek. She didn't want to wake him, but she knew he would feel a lot more comfortable once he was tucked up in bed.

"Spence," She whispered, tapping his shoulder. His eyelids fluttered open and he looked up at her, eyes glassy and wet. "I'm going to take you home honey, do you think you can walk to the car?"

He nodded, knowing it wouldn't be easy, but desperate to crawl into a warm bed and sleep. JJ hooked an arm around his waist and slowly pulled him to his feet, supporting him as they walked out of the bathroom. Hotch was waiting with Reid's bag and coat, and handed them to JJ.

"I'll take him from here," He eased his arm around Reid's waist, allowing JJ to slip away and carry her bag and Reid's belongings. "You go ahead and get the heater on in the car, we'll catch up." JJ nodded and walked hurriedly out of the building, and into the car park.

"We're going to go nice and slowly, okay Spencer?"

Reid nodded dazedly and began to walk carefully, letting himself lean onto Hotch as they made their way through the building. Hotch noticed how dizzy Reid was, and so stopped every so often to allow him to catch his breath.

"You good to go again, Spencer?" He asked, knowing the answer was probably a no. "We'll be at the car soon, it's okay."

"Mhhmm…" Reid mumbled, and began to walk again. His breathing got more labored as they walked, and he was extremely grateful for when they finally reached the car. JJ opened the passenger side door, and he sunk into the seat weakly.

"See you later Reid." Hotch said, watching as JJ tucked Reid's jacket around his shoulders. "Feel better soon."

JJ nodded and smiled at him, before leaning to shut the door, checking Reid once again to make sure he was comfortable, and driving off. Reid let his head slump against the windows, shivering despite the fact the heater was on. He felt uncomfortable waves of nausea begin to hit him and let out a low moan.

"It's okay Spence…just a little longer," JJ soothed, placing a hand on his knee and rubbing it comfortingly. "We'll be home soon."

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**I hope you enjoyed it:) reviews are very much appreciated as I am not sure whether to continue. Please let me know your opinions! Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow...thank you all so much for the lovely reviews. I didn't expect so many people to like it, and I am very grateful. I have read them all and have taken everything into consideration, and so have decided the following:**

**-This is not a case of the unsub drugging Reid and causing him to be sick, unfortunately our little genius is just sick.**

**-I used a symptom checker to diagnose Reid with the flu, and although some people may think it sounds like more than the flu, I think his symptoms have just been exacerbated by the fact he is overworked. **

**-I will keep this as just a story, and perhaps start a collection of Reid fics in a separate story. **

**-Henry will be appearing in this story! His and Spencer's relationship is just too cute. **

**Thank you all again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

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Reid pulled his feet up onto the seat, curling into himself as he placed an arm around his stomach, willing it to stop turning. JJ noticed and glanced at him, seeing the grimace that had taken over his face.

"Spence, do you need me to pull over?" She asked softly, continuing to rub soothing circles into his knee.

"No…'m not gonna puke," He mumbled "Just feels uncomfortable."

"Okay honey. We're nearly at your apartment anyway, just keep taking deep breaths."

Reid nodded and closed his eyes, his head still resting on the window. He felt awful, and the guilt he felt over being so pathetic that JJ had to drive him home just made him feel worse. He didn't want to seem weak, but he was just so tired, and _everything _ached and…

"Spencer, we're here," JJ's gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see her carefully opening the door to the car, and he nodded at whatever she was saying, longing to just get inside and collapse in bed. He felt her arm snaking around his waist and pulling him close, and he started to walk sleepily, his body on autopilot. After what felt like forever they finally arrived at the door of his apartment and JJ searched through his bag, triumphantly pulling out his key and unlocking the door. Reid wasn't really sure how he made it to his bed after that, but realized that he was sitting there as JJ was undressing him, and trying to put sweatpants and a t-shirt on him. He cooperated the best that he could before swallowing back the pills JJ placed in his hand, and crawling under his duvet, pulling it up to his chin.

"Thank you," He croaked, "Bye JJ…"

"I'm not going anywhere Spence," She smiled, sitting down on the bed next to him. "I'm staying to look after you."

"You don't need to…I…I'm fine," He stuttered, feeling the panic rise in his chest. They obviously all thought he was weak if they thought he needed a babysitter. "You need to go back to work…"

She shook her head, smoothing her hand through his hair.

"I want to stay," She assured "Anyway, Hotch ordered me to, and I'm not going to disobey."

Reid scrunched up his eyebrows and JJ couldn't help but smile at the adorable confusion on his fever flushed face.

"Why would he do that?" Reid's voice wavered.

JJ felt like her heart had broken. Reid couldn't fathom why anybody would take care of him, and it hurt her heart to know he hadn't been taken care of properly before. She knew his mother was sick and would've tried her best, but he really had no clue what it was like to be cared for when he was unwell. She sunk down on the bed and wrapped her arm around him, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder.

"Spence, we're a team. We look after each other," She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I know you would do the same for me. Well, maybe not, because I know you don't like germs but…you know what I mean. We love you."

Spencer's eyelids began to feel heavy, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He closed them, feeling his exhaustion take over.

JJ smiled, glad that Spencer was finally getting some rest. She closed her eyes, knowing that the worst of his illness was probably yet to come, and she would need all the energy she could get. She felt Spencer nestle further into the blankets, his feverish body still shivering despite the layers. He finally got comfortable and JJ heard his breathing slow as he relaxed.

"I would JJ…" He mumbled blearily, "I would do this for you…"

JJ woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and slipped out of the bed carefully, as not to wake Spencer, who was still sleeping. She frowned as she realized he looked worse than he did when he fell asleep. His nose was reddened with the telltale signs of a cold, and he was shivering despite the fact his cheeks were red, and his face was covered with a sheen of sweat. She quickly tucked the blankets back around him and walked out of the room, opening the front door. Garcia stood with bags full of shopping and a worried look on her face.

"Garcia, come in." JJ greeted, taking a few of the shopping bags and leading her into the kitchen, where they placed the bags on the counter.

"How is my baby?" Garcia gushed, "Also, I bought supplies. I may have gotten carried away but I have been worrying from the second Hotch told me and you know how I get when one of my babies is hurting."

"It's okay," JJ smiled; she knew how protective Garcia was over the whole team. "Spence is…well, he isn't great. You can come and see him, I need to give him some more medicine anyway."

Garcia nodded and followed JJ into the bedroom. She was surprised to see Reid awake and sitting up in bed, sneezing harshly into a tissue.

"_Huh'PSH'iew! HUH'PSH'ieew…_" Reid sniffed into the tissue, his eyes watering from the force of the sneeze. He looked up to see Garcia looking at him, eyes wide.

"Oh my precious genius," She babbled, sitting on the bed next to him and pulling him into a warm hug, "You're really not well honey." She finished hugging him and propped him back up on his pillows, pulling the blankets around his shivering body.

"H-Hi Garcia," He croaked "What are you d-doing here?"

"I bought all the supplies a sick person could possibly need, and more." She laughed, standing up from the bed. "Now, we need to get some food and liquid into your fragile genius body, I was thinking maybe juice and crackers? Or soda? I have a whole variety."

"Crackers sound good," He smiled blearily, rubbing his eyes. He coughed into his elbow before talking again. "M-My throat hurts too much for juice…lemonade?"

"Coming right up!" Garcia said, clicking her fingers as she left the room.

"Now you're more awake I'll take your temperature," JJ said, leaning over to place the thermometer in Spencer's mouth. "No talking whilst that's in there, I'm just going to get the cold medicine Garcia bought."

She reentered with the bottle of medicine just as the thermometer bleeped, and she frowned as she looked at the reading.

"One hundred and one…that's pretty high Spence. Once you've had your crackers and soda I'll run you a bath to cool you down. Sound good?"

He nodded wearily as Garcia entered, with a plate of saltines and a glass of soda with a straw.

"Eat up honey." She placed the plate next to him as he sipped his soda carefully, his hands shaking as he tried to grip it.

Garcia helped, placing her hand over his and steadying him. Spencer almost went cross-eyed as he concentrated on the straw, making Garcia giggle. JJ smirked and walked into the bathroom, turning on the taps to run a bath. She checked her watch, and was shocked to see it was almost time to pick up Henry from school. She walked over to where Spencer had finished drinking and was laying back on his bed, trying to have a conversation with Garcia. She whispered in Garcia's ear, grabbed her purse, waved bye to Spencer, and made her way out to the car.

If there was anyone that could make Spencer feel better, it was Henry.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know what you thought :) Thank you for reading x **


	3. Chapter 3

**I apologize for how long I've taken to update this story; things in my life have been chaotic. However, I'm going to try to update this more regularly now, and I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter. Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated, and I will take into consideration any ideas or prompts for the rest of this story. **

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"Are you ready to get in the bath now honey?" Garcia asked, as Reid put down the cracker he was nibbling. He nodded weakly and sat forward, allowing Garcia to help him up and into the bathroom. Reid slumped down onto the side of the bath as he worked on pulling his top off, but protested when Garcia tried to help.

"I can…I can do it myself," He mumbled, swaying slightly. "You can l-leave."

"You're sick, Spence. Let me help," Garcia pleaded, "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"'m not a baby, I can…I can do it," He assured, avoiding looking Garcia in the eye. "Y-You can go…"

Garcia knew he was finding being taken care of difficult, but she wasn't about to leave him to pass out on the bathroom floor.

"Spencer, I'm not leaving the bathroom yet," She said firmly. "I'll turn around to face the door whilst you undress, but you can bet your genius ass that I'm not leaving until you're in that bath."

Reid was silent after that, and she spun to face the door. Once she heard him dip into the water she turned around.

"S-See…" Spencer croaked. "'m fine…"

Garcia wasn't even a tiny bit convinced, but decided to just press a kiss to his feverish forehead and walk out, leaving the bathroom door open a fraction. She didn't want to overwhelm him with her love and care to the point that he got upset, but it was hard _not_ to pour all her love over him when he was just looking so helpless. It was time that someone showed him how much he deserved to be looked after, and she hoped that she and JJ would be able to help even a little with that. She busied herself with changing the sheets on Reid's bed. Clean sheets always made her feel better when she was sick, and so she figured it was worth a try.

Reid sighed defeatedly as he tried to relax in the bath, but it just wasn't working. He couldn't ignore how much his whole body ached, and how his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He wasn't good at being sick. He began to think about when he was younger, and he had chickenpox. His mom had been having one of her bad days when he'd woken up sick, and so he had to look after himself. He spent the rest of the week torn between the bathroom floor and his bed, trying to distract himself from how bad he felt by reading. One night he couldn't take it any longer and so he crept into the sitting room, where his mother was sitting on the couch, and crawled onto her lap. Reid bit his lip as he felt tears well in his eyes… he just missed his mother so much. He moaned softly as he felt a funny feeling in his stomach. It could've been because he was thinking about his mom; thinking about his mom always gave him a knot in his stomach. His stomach continue to turn, feeling like a rollercoaster, and the tears were streaming down his flushed cheeks. He could feel the panic rising in his chest.

Garcia had just finished plumping the pillows on the bed when she heard a strange noise. She frowned, pausing to listen again.

"Oh crap," She muttered, as she realized what the sound was. She rushed into the bathroom to find Reid hunched over the toilet, throwing up. His breathing was frantic and his slim frame shook as he dry-heaved, and he was shivering, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Garcia grabbed a bigger towel, and draped it around his shoulders, and then began to rub circles in the small of his back with her palm. After a few minutes he fell back against the bathtub, coughing feebly, and with hot tears rolling down his cheeks. Garcia tucked herself next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and bringing him close.

"S-Sorry…I'm s-so sorry…" Reid apologized, over and over again.

"Shhh, honey," Garcia soothed, "You have nothing to be sorry for. You had to get it out of your system. I'm just sorry you're feeling so shitty."

Reid, exhausted, allowed his head to rest on Garcia's shoulder. He shivered, and pulled the towel around him closer.

"I don't…I-I don't want to be sick anymore," His eyes were wide and glazed with fever.

Garcia clucked sympathetically, holding his hand, and rubbing circles into his palm.

"I know Spence," She sat up straighter, pulling him even closer. He was shivering so much, despite the obvious fever radiating from his skin. "You have to let us take care of you, then you'll start to feel better."

"I…don't deserve yo-" He started to speak, but Garcia interrupted him. She moved so she was facing him, and held his hands. She could see the tears brimming in his eyes, threatening to fall, and her heart felt like it had been broken into a million pieces.

"Don't you dare, Spencer." She said, her tone scolding, yet soft. "Of course you deserve our help, and love. Screw that, you deserve the whole fucking world. I know it's hard for you to see it, but know that we see it, and we love you. Our whole team loves you. If we had the ability to click our fingers and make you feel better, we all would."

Reid bit his lip.

"So you are going to let us take care of you." Garcia informed him. "Now, I'll help you get changed, and then you'll have to drink some water, and then you can get back into bed. And then we'll go from there, okay?"

Reid nodded meekly, and allowed Garcia to help him up. She flushed the toilet, and sat Reid on the closed lid. She grabbed a change of clothes for him, and began dressing Reid, who helped as much as he could. Once he was in a fresh pair of sweats and a clean t-shirt, she handed him a glass of water.

"Small sips," She reminded. His hands were shaking still, but he managed a few sips, before handing it back to Garcia. She was worried at how little he'd drank, but it hadn't been long since he last threw up, so she decided to give his stomach a little time to settle down before making him drink more. She snaked her arm around his waist and pulled him to his feet, and they began to make their way back into Reid's bedroom, which was quite a sight to behold. He stumbled with all the grace of a baby elephant, and Garcia ended up supporting most of his weight as he swayed dizzily. He sank onto his bed, curling into the fetal position as Garcia tucked a blanket around him. She sat next to him, rubbing calming circles onto his back with the heel of her hand. She leant over to feel his forehead, and frowned at the heat. She wanted him to feel better so badly, but was at a loss for what would make him feel even the tiniest bit better.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the trill of the doorbell.


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys are the best! Thank you for all the reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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The doorbell startled Reid, who poked his head out from under his blanket and raised his eyebrows.

"It's okay honey, it's just JJ," Garcia ruffled his hair before getting up to answer the door. She opened it and was greeted by Jennifer, who had two bags slung over her shoulder, and Henry, who was wearing his backpack, and beaming up at Garcia.

"Hey Henry!" She smiled, bending down to give him a hug, before leading him inside. He instantly settled down into Reid's armchair, which was always his favorite place to sit. "How was school?"

"Good," He nodded, pulling some papers out of his bag and resting them on the arm of the chair. He held a piece of bright blue up for Garcia to see. "It's for Uncle Spencer!"

Garcia smiled as she saw the picture Henry had drawn. There was a tall stick figure with brown hair holding hands with a smaller stick figure with blonde hair. 'Get Well Soon' was written at the top in clumsy capitals.

"He started it in the car on the way here," JJ said to Garcia, pulling her aside. A worried look came across her face. "So…how is he?"

"Not great," Garcia sighed. "He took a bath, but ended up throwing up. I think he got himself a little worked up, which didn't help. He's hiding under his blankets right now; he looks like crap, and feels worse."

JJ nodded as Garcia filled her in.

"Are you okay to sit here with Henry?" JJ asked, although she already knew what Garcia's answer would be. She absolutely doted on her Godson, and Henry loved spending time with her. "I'll go see him."

She paused as she approached the door.  
"Also, I'll stay with him tonight," She motioned towards her bags. "Will you be okay to drop Henry back at mine? Will's at home."

"Of course," Garcia nodded. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"I think so. I called Morgan when I was picking Henry up, and he's going to talk to Savannah, tell her Reid's symptoms, and see what she thinks. He said he'd text you when he's heard from her."

"Okay, good," Garcia said, sitting on the couch and pulling her phone out. "I'll let you know what he says."

Jennifer pushed open Reid's door, and frowned at the Reid shaped lump hiding under the blankets on the bed. She sat down gently next to him, and rubbed what she assumed was his back.

"Spence, it's me," She whispered, "Are you awake?" She felt his body shift, and smiled as he poked his head out from his blanket cocoon.

"H-Hi JJ…" He croaked, clearing his throat. She smoothed her hand through his hair, tutting as she felt the heat radiating off him.

"How're you feeling?" She continued stroking his hair, and he leaned into her cool touch.

"I…I feel-" He paused to shiver. "I feel…bad."

JJ hadn't expected any other answer, but was somewhat pleased to see him being truthful, instead of pretending, although frankly he was probably too exhausted to pretend anymore. She leant over to grab the thermometer from where it was laying on his bedside table, and placed it under Reid's tongue, waiting for the beep.

"101.2…" She heard Spencer whimper softly as she read it out. "If it gets any higher I'll have to take you to see a doctor, Spence."

"N-No please," He protested, trying to sit up. The panic was evident in his voice, and JJ shushed him calmly, helping him to a sitting position, and resting him back against his pillows.

"Honey, shh. I know you don't want to, and that's why we'll just have to try and get your fever down." She stood up from the bed, walking over to the door. "Will you try to have some peppermint tea? It might calm your stomach, so you can keep some medicine down."

She was almost alarmed when Reid just nodded, instead of spouting facts about peppermint tea, and its stomach-settling properties. She opened the door, stepping out to speak to Garcia. When she returned, she sat back next to Reid, peeling the blanket off him.

"I know you probably feel cold, but we have to keep this blanket off until your fever drops," She informed him, noticing how he shivered the second she removed the blanket. She pulled him closer, trying to stop the chills.

"I have a surprise for you, Spence," She smiled at him as he raised his eyebrows drowsily. "Out in the sitting room."

"JJ…" He started, "P-Please tell me you didn't bring the r-rest of the team…"

"Do you really think they could all stay that quiet out there?" She smirked, "No, I bought someone else with me."

Normally Reid would've worked it out easily, but his brain was fuzzy, and he was puzzled. There was a knock on his bedroom, and he smiled as Henry came running in, with Garcia following shortly behind, holding a mug of tea.

"H-Henry!" Reid exclaimed, his voice cracking a little. Henry hopped up on the bed next to him, thrusting his homemade card into Reid's shaking hands.

"For you!" Henry beamed, and started chatting away to him.

Garcia placed the mug on the table, and turned to JJ.

"Morgan text me," She began. "Savannah said it's probably the stomach flu, combined with the fact that he overworks himself like crazy, and is dehydrated. She said to keep him hydrated, and maybe try a cool wet cloth for his forehead. With that, and rest, he should be okay in a few days."

"Okay," Jennifer nodded, "Once he drinks some of the tea, I'll see if he feels up to some dry toast."

She smiled as she saw Henry babbling away to Reid, who was trying his best to pay full attention. He tried to mask the grimace that came over his face with a smile as he rested his arm over his stomach.

"Henry, I think Uncle Spencer needs to rest now, okay?" Henry hopped off the bed obediently before leaning to hug Reid. "Garcia's going to take you home to see Daddy. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!" Henry waved at Spencer, before going to give his mom a hug. Garcia pressed a kiss to Reid's forehead before grasping Henry's hand and walking out the room.

JJ followed them out, giving Henry another hug and thanking Garcia, before locking the door behind them.

She walked back into the bedroom to see Reid coughing harshly. She sat next to him, rubbing circles in his back with one hand, and holding the mug of tea in the other. When the coughing finally stopped, and his chest stopped heaving, she wrapped his hands around the mug and placed hers over his, helping him take a sip.

"It's just me and you now, Spence."


	5. Chapter 5

**This is a short chapter because I'm not sure whether to finish it at this, or continue. Honestly, it's up to you guys! I'll continue it if you want me to. I hope you enjoy this chapter, regardless. Thank you for reading!**

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Reid continued to sip the tea cautiously. His stomach hadn't gone into an immediate revolt, however he didn't want to push it. He took a few more tentative sips, before letting JJ take the mug from him. She placed it on his bedside table and leaned over to grab a bottle of water and a packet of pills from her bag, which was resting on the end of the bed.

"Spence, do you think you can take these?" She said, handing him the water bottle. He nodded, although he didn't look entirely sure. She popped two pills from the foil package, and placed them in his trembling hand. He put them in his mouth, swallowing them with some water. Handing JJ the water bottle, he rested back on his pillow, placing his hands on his stomach. She frowned, sitting back next to him and taking one of his clammy hands in hers. He exhaled shakily and let his head rest on her shoulder.

"Do you need me to get the trashcan?" She asked, hoping that we wasn't about to expel the medicine he had only just taken.

"No…" He sighed. "Just...uncomfortable."

"I know honey," She rubbed circles in the palm of his hand, trying to calm him. "Do you want to try to sleep?"

"I g-guess," He said, his voice hoarse. He sounded utterly miserable, but it was understandable. He shifted in his bed so he was lying down, but still continued to hold JJ's hand. She rested back next to him, running her free hand through his hair. Within minutes he was asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly as his breathing calmed. JJ smiled, glad that he was finally resting.

Jennifer woke to a frantic cry coming from Reid, who was hyperventilating next to her. His eyes were wide and filled with fear, with tears threatening to spill, and his body was trembling with panic. He bolted upright, and JJ was immediately snapped out of her momentary confusion, as she realized he had been having a nightmare. She sat up and pulled him as close as she could, and he buried his head into her neck. She could feel hot tears wetting her skin, and hear his shaky sobs. His breathing became shallower and she pulled back from him, gently holding his face with her hands, and forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Spence, hey, _hey_, it's alright," She soothed, wiping the tears from his cheeks with her thumb. "It was a nightmare honey, _shh,_ you're safe, I promise,"

He fell into her arms once again, and she rocked him gently. Once his breathing calmed, she rested him back against his pillows and brushed the remaining tears from his face, before leaning to pick up the thermometer and placing it carefully under his tongue. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realized it had dropped to 100. It was still too warm, but she was glad it hadn't gotten any higher. Spencer cleared his throat, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize Spence," She noticed his eyelids were becoming heavy once again, and he yawned. "Come here…"

She laid back next to him, tucking a blanket securely around him. Reid was exhausted, and desperately wanted to sleep, but fear still filled his heart. He had dreamt that he was being tortured, and they were threatening to hurt the rest of the team. JJ noticed the hesitation and fear in his eyes.

"I'm right here Spence, nothing is going to hurt you,"

She felt a pang of sadness in her heart. He was the youngest in the team, but had been through things that she couldn't even imagine going through. She pulled him closer.

"You're safe now."


	6. Chapter 6

**This is the final chapter! Wow. Thank you all for reading! **

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When Reid awoke, the first thing that hit him was how much his body just _ached. _Every inch of his skin felt sore, and there was a lingering pain shooting through the fogginess in his head. He was glad that his stomach had finally stopped spinning, but it seemed to have been replaced with the sensation of his whole world spinning. He looked around and noticed that JJ wasn't next to him…she was there when he fell asleep, wasn't she? He couldn't remember. He blinked a few times, trying to tear himself from his drowsy haze. He could hear a faint noise, and stood up from his bed. His world began to spin again, and he leant against the wall, steadying himself. He shivered. _When did it get so cold? _He grabbed his blanket, pulling it around himself, before following the noise.

JJ was watching TV when she heard Spencer shuffle in. She looked up to see him leaning heavily against the wall, trying to catch his breath. She smiled at him sympathetically, getting up to help him.

"Here, Spence…I've got you," She put her arm around his shoulder, and guided him to his armchair, which he sank into gratefully. She tucked his blanket around him, before wandering into the kitchen to get a bottle of Gatorade, the blister pack of pills, and the thermometer. She crouched in front of him, helping him take the pills, and then placing the thermometer under his tongue.

"99.7…" She read. "We're getting there, honey."

Spencer nodded slowly.

"How are you feeling today?"

He swallowed a few times before managing a hoarse whisper.

"I-I feel…w-weird…"

"Are you hungry?" She asked. Spencer hadn't eaten anything in a while, and now that his stomach had settled down, it would probably be beneficial. He paused, before nodding.

JJ busied herself with fetching some dry toast, which Reid then devoured hungrily. She chuckled, glad that he had his appetite back. She put one of his Doctor Who dvds into the dvd player, and sat back on the couch, pulling out her phone. She read through the texts, smiling.

"The rest of the team send their love, Spence."

"Tell…tell them thank you," He croaked. He turned his attention back to the TV, trying his best to pay attention. JJ was in the middle of texting Garcia when she realized Spencer had fallen asleep. He looked adorable, snuggled into his chair. She was tempted to take a photo to send to Garcia, but knew that she would end up paying for it when he was well again. He murmured breathily as he dreamed, and she settled for just watching the TV, hoping he would be able to sleep off the rest of his flu.

Days later, Reid was well enough to return to work. He was still tired, and a little fragile, but he was eager to get back to work. He had spent the past few days trying to work out how to thank JJ, and was glad that he had gotten to work before her. He placed the bunch of flowers he had bought on her desk, before strolling to the coffee machine. _Ah, how he had missed coffee. _

JJ smiled when she walked into work and saw Spencer's messenger bag and his desk. Things were back to normal, and she was oh so glad. She made her way to her desk and was confused when she noticed the flowers. She noticed the note that was attached-

'Jennifer, thank you so much. I apologize for my stubbornness, and am more grateful than I can put into words, Spencer.'

It took all of her self-control to not run up and hug-tackle him, and instead opted for pressing a kiss on his cheek.

"Anytime, Spence," She beamed. "Anytime."

_A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal. - Steve Maraboli_

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**_I am starting a new story, which will be a collection of oneshots. They will be Reid-centric, to begin with, but I am going to be writing from prompts...so start sending me your prompts! PM me with any ideas you have, or anything you would like me to write for you!_**


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